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Chris Paul not only has lifted a bad franchise, he's restored hope in a very troubled city. |
THEY'D NEVER
It's hard to blame them. We're talking about the league's two flagship franchises, with 30 titles between them. Cue a half-century of flashbacks: Bird vs. Magic, Russell vs. Chamberlain. As an added touch, Lakers coach Phil Jackson would be trying to break Red Auerbach's record of nine championships.
I'm halfway on board. I'd love to see the Celtics back in the Finals for the first time in 22 years.
Nothing against Kobe Bryant, but I'm rooting for the New Orleans Hornets to be the opposition.
It would lack some of the glamour of L.A.-Boston, but what a stage it would offer: old school vs. new school, youth vs. experience.
Plus, it would reward two players who have earned it: Kevin Garnett and Chris Paul.
Bryant was named NBA Most Valuable Player earlier this week, and it was richly deserved. In his 12th season, he finally shed his me-first attitude and carried the Lakers to the West's top seed by becoming a leader, a distributor--but best of all, a teammate.
Finishing 2-3 in the voting were Paul and Garnett, and it would be exciting for those two to get a chance at a ring. (Bryant already has three).
With all due respect to Kobe, no one has been better or more scintillating through 1 rounds of the playoffs than Paul, the Hornets' third-year point guard. He not only helped eliminate the Dallas Mavericks, he expedited the demolition of a team that fell two wins short of a title just 23 months ago. And through two games, he's shredding the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
Paul reminds many of a young Isiah Thomas. (Let's hope that comparison stays on the court.) He's averaging 24.3 points and 12.1 assists in the playoffs. In the series-clinching victory over Dallas, Paul had 24 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds--and no turnovers--while making Jason Kidd look slower than Jason Whitlock.
Paul has plenty of help in fellow All-Star David West, sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and center Tyson Chandler, who has found a home and whose size and youth have bothered Tim Duncan. It also helps that coach-of-the-year Byron Scott knows a thing or two about success after winning three rings with the Lakers and coaching the Nets into back-to-back Finals.
Still, a trip to the Finals would give Paul, 23, the kind of national exposure that made Dwyane Wade a megastar two years ago. And it would be a blessing for a city that has endured more than its share of adversity.
It's been a much longer wait for Garnett. He endured years of mediocrity in Minnesota without complaint before being liberated in a trade to Boston last summer.
For the first time in a decade, Garnett averaged under 20 points a game this season while sharing the spotlight with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. But when the Celtics needed him Tuesday night against Cleveland, he responded with 28 points--including the game-winning basket.
(And after watching that game, I'm joining the list of those tired of LeBron James' whining. Yes, he gets roughed up, as Michael Jordan and other stars did. But he gets a superstar's share of foul calls and seems incredulous whenever he's whistled, even for a blatant foul.)
But back to Garnett. Aside from an MVP season in 2003-04, he's been a consummate pro whose skills were always overlooked in Minnesota. (I predicted the Bullets would regret bypassing him for Rasheed Wallace in the 1995 draft, and I stand by it.)
If anyone deserves a spot in the Finals as a career achievement award, it's Garnett. (At 32, this may be his last real chance.) Paul doesn't have nearly the body of work, but no one's more exciting.
There's an entire generation of NBA fans who can't remember when Boston was dominant. No one remembers a good team in New Orleans; the Jazz became contenders only after migrating to Utah.
Here's hoping all that will change in the next month.
Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com
